Annual seagull cull begins in Cartagena

Eggs are drilled in Cartagena to prevent chicks hatching

The Town Hall of Cartagena has begun its annual campaign to avoid excessive growth in the seagull population of the city and to limit the nuisance caused to members of the public, drilling holes in eggs in order to prevent chicks from hatching while leaving nests intact and avoiding any harm to the birds using them.

The 2019 campaign lasts until 30th June, and also includes the use of a spray which is applied to nesting areas and which discourages yellow-legged gulls from nesting in areas which bring about inconvenience to the public. In addition, a public awareness campaign is urging people to contribute to the initiative by refraining from dropping food and litter in schools, parks and gardens, not feeding the gulls, ensuring that rubbish containers in the streets are properly closed and taking steps to prevent nests from being made in areas where they have been in the past.

Members of the public who spot a nest on their property are asked to contact the relevant Town Hall department by telephone on 968 128957 or by email at controlplagas@ayto-cartagena.es.

In the 2017 campaign a total of 308 eggs were drilled in 120 nests, and each year the pest control operation becomes more efficient as the database from previous campaigns enlarges and the experts have a longer list of nesting sites to inspect. As a result, a tendency has been observed for the gulls to choose nesting sites away from the city centre - apparently they remember sites which have been “traumatic” for them in the past and avoid them - and the seagulls have become less bothersome for residents and visitors in Cartagena.

In this year’s campaign around 200 past nesting locations have already been inspected, and new sites have been included in the list for next spring’s operation.